Guiding Principles

With our guiding principles we have defined our vision, mission and principles for Fraunhofer IWKS. They are based on the guiding principles  of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft.

Our vision defines our goal and the mission describes our commitment on the way to our goal. The principles define which values are important to us and stand for a common orientation.

Vision: Material performance and sustainability for a circular economy | Technologies for a world without waste.

Mission: We develop circular materials and materials science technologies for the ultimate sustainable, waste-free circular economy.

This includes research for

• the substitution of critical raw materials with more sustainable alternatives,
• the intelligent regeneration of future-oriented materials with regard to the longevity of products,
• the energy-efficient recovery of materials (recyclates) as sustainable precursors for production.

• We work success-oriented.
  Our success is based on the Fraunhofer criteria.
  
  
• We work in teams.
  We work in interdisciplinary teams in direct cooperation with industry and universities on sustainable technologies. A cooperation based on trust and mutual appreciation characterizes our work.
  
  
• We work for sustainable transformation.
  Through an adaptive way of working, we see ourselves as enablers for the implementation of a resilient value chain for the energy transformation of our society. We understand, evaluate and develop strategic materials for a sustainable transformation.
  
  
• We lead as role models.
  Leaders are role models who enable their employees to deliver their best performance for themselves and Fraunhofer IWKS. We live our mission to sustainable materials and thereby inspire others.
  
  
• We develop, including ourselves.
  We develop materials and process technologies for a resilient society. We create the best possible conditions for the personal and professional development of our employees.
  
  
• We communicate transparently.
  We transparently communicate our research results and their contributions to supply security, climate protection and the circular economy to industry, politics, science and society. We support our customers in communicating joint research results to their stakeholders. We address common challenges by clearly communicating goals, strategies and decisions.